Ever see salt water taffy being made? The taffy is secured between two machines and then kneaded and stretched. As the taffy is pulled apart it gets thinner and thinner in the middle, before it's gathered up, kneaded into a ball, and stretched out again.

Stretched out and thin is an apt analogy of the current state of racing in the National Steeplechase Association. The denizens of the NSA office often tout an increased purse structure ($4,865,325) and increased opportunities for horses to race as markers of an improving racing economy.